Historic homes were promised protection that never came
The warning followed a traumatic day for thousands across the country, as residents in the southern towns of Henley-on-Thames and Marlborough joined dozens across the Midlands and south-west in being evacuated.
The famous Pulteney Weir on the River Avon in Bath was also completely submerged, while Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire, a narrow boat on the River Soar was wedged across the arches of a bridge having been swept onto its side.
Siobhan Connor, a public relations consultant, said her home in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, was contaminated with raw sewage after being flooded for the third time in a year and for the twentieth time since 1997. “We can’t continue like this.”
The medieval town of Tewkesbury has been surrounded by water all year.Credit: Getty
In Tewkesbury, home owners from 11 Grade II listed townhouses on Abbey Terrace complained that the pandemic had appeared to prevent work that might have prevented the flood.
Among them were Denise Clarke, 73, and her husband Jeffrey, 83, who were forced to evacuate their home of 44 years as water entered the property for the first time since 2007.
“It just came up quicker than we thought it would,” she said. “The floodgates were working well but then it came up through the back and the floor.”
A swan paddles past a submerged car in Wallingford.Credit: Getty
Clarke added: “They [Environment Agency] were supposed to get a firm to strengthen the flood barriers. They were supposed to have money set aside for it two-and-a-half years ago.”
In the same town, John Badham, the 75-year-old retired headmaster, who has mobility issues, had to flee his home along with his wife, who is recovering from a cancer operation.
“We do feel rather let down by the environment agency and the local authority,” he said.
“Seven years ago, we were told by the local council that money had been made available to produce extra defences. Unfortunately that seems to have disappeared during the COVID period and the defences never materialised.”
Laurence Robertson, the Conservative MP for Tewkesbury, said: “I don’t want to be critical about the Environment Agency but certainly in my constituency it’s just not a huge target. We’ve not got all that many we need to help, I am hoping for a better reaction in the future. Sadly in life it always takes an incident to spark people into action.”
In Nottinghamshire, a local politician described the situation as “pure hell”.
Councillor Paul Taylor said medication was being rushed to residents in cut-off villages, some of whom had been flooded for the third time in as many months.
“I think this is one of the worst situations that we have seen,” he said, adding: “People are saying enough is enough and that they want to see some action.”
Responding to the complaints from Tewkesbury, an agency spokesman said: “We know the devastation that flooding can cause and our priority is to protect communities from the impact of flooding as much as possible.
A major incident was declared in Nottinghamshire in England’s midlands. The water crept into Newark-on-Trent.Credit: Getty
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“We are working with the community in Tewkesbury to help residents plan for flooding and make the local environment more resilient to flooding.
“This includes undertaking Natural Flood Management work to create more space and ease the flow of water.”
The Telegraph, London
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